To visit Massachusetts and not spend time on Cape Cod would be a big mistake. While Boston is that most fantastic of urban spaces, a city with access to beaches where skyscrapers and scenic coasts merge, the beaches of Cape Cod are little nature paradises. And with regular ferries to both Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard, it’s the perfect launch pad for some island exploration.
Take the train
It’s easy to get there on public transport, with daily buses from Boston South Station to Hyannis ($19 single). But if you are visiting during the summer months, from May to September, take the Cape Flyer train, which runs from Friday to Sunday ($22 single). It’s a rather glorious journey through scenic countryside and on to the ocean, crossing the stunning Buzzards Bay vertical lift bridge to the Cape, the second longest bridge of its kind in the world. First established in 1848, the railroad service discontinued year-round operation in the 1950s and the current service is a contemporary one that has been running since 1999.
Hit the beach
The best areas for beaches are Chatham and Truro, though with over 500 miles of coast, you’re never far from a stunning stretch of sand on the Cape. Local resident (and President of United States) John F Kennedy preserved the Cape Cod National Seashore, from Chatham to Provincetown, in 1961 for “the inspiration and enjoyment of people all over the United States”.
The Kennedy’s have had a summer home on the Cape since the 1920s and you can get a clear look at the family compound from Eugenia Fortes beach at Hyannisport, close to the poignant Kennedy Memorial. Other best beaches on the Cape include Sandy Neck at Sandwich, Old Silver Beach at Falmouth and Race Point at Provincetown. Divided into Upper, Mid, Lower and Outer Cape, Upper has calm tidal bay beaches, while Outer boasts the wild open Atlantic.
Visit the JFK Museum in Hyannis
A more intimate telling of the Kennedy ‘Camelot’ legend through rare and personal family photos and papers, the JFK Museum in Hyannis may be a lot smaller than the super-sized John F Kennedy Library in Boston but it is a treasure trove of exhibits. Featuring intimate behind-the-scenes images of the 35th President of the United States and his family, taken by their personal photographer Jacques Lowe, the museum charts a journey through the life of JFK, with a special focus on Cape Cod, the place he called home. A parallel exhibition looks at the life and work of Robert F Kennedy in the run up to his 1968 Presidential campaign.
Meet the locals
The stories of US immigrants and colonists are widely told. But we don’t hear so much about the native people their arrival often displaced. Down the road from the JFK Museum in Hyannis on Cape Cod, meet Iyannagh, sitting contemplatively on the village green. This statue to the leader of the Mattachiest tribe pays tribute to the American Indian ‘sachem’ – chief – who helped the Mayflower Pilgrims when they landed on Cape Cod before making their way to settle in Plymouth. He is the man responsible for the name Hyannis, and also part of the reason Americans sit down to eat Thanksgiving turkey every year.
Sail to Nantucket
If you spend the night in Hyannis, you’re perfectly placed to sail from Hyannis Port to the beautiful island of Nantucket in the morning, making it an easy day trip from the Cape ($25 round-trip).
The island, measuring just 14 miles by 3.5, has over 800 pre-Civil War homes, more than anywhere else in the USA. It also boasts 82 miles of coastline, 10 stunning beaches and hosts celebrity holiday homers like Tommy Hilfiger, Ben Stiller and Google’s Eric Schmidt. Bills Clinton and Gates are frequent visitors. After you’ve explored the quaint Main St with beautiful historic stone buildings and scenic marinas, it’s easy to travel around the rest of the island by hire bike or on the frequent buses.
Meet whales and artists
Nantucket’s Whaling Museum (admission $20) is just a short walk from the harbour where the Cape Cod ferry comes in and a good first port of call to get the history of this affluent island. It became famous as the whaling capital of the world in the 17th and 18th centuries, inspiring the novel Moby Dick by Herman Melville, and the museum tells the fascinating – and rather gory – story of this industry.
Once the whaling industry collapsed at the end of the 19th century, artists, attracted by the stunning natural landscapes and the light, began to arrive on Nantucket. Today a thriving artists’ colony still exists on the island. This is mainly centered around Sconset, with its quaint flower-bedecked cottages and long beaches, an easy 20-minute bus ride from the Main Street.
See the Gingerbread Houses on Martha’s Vineyard
Martha’s Vineyard makes another great day trip from Cape Cod and is an even quicker journey than Nantucket. Take a tip from the insiders and travel from the Cape on the Island Queen ferry from Falmouth, an easy half-hour journey ($22 round trip).
Less ‘preserved’ than Nantucket, it feels all the more real for it but none the less interesting historically. Its beautiful Gingerbread Houses are an easy walk from Oak Bluffs harbour, brightly coloured 19th century cottages with gingerbread trim that grew up around the Methodist tabernacle in Wesleyan Grove. Part of the Methodist summer campground established after the American Civil War, the houses replaced temporary tents as the congregation became more permanent and the era is now a National Historic Landmark.
Hang out in Falmouth
The coastal town of Falmouth is a great place to base yourself on a trip to the Cape, with its pretty beaches, pleasant shopping streets and the historic 19th century Highfield Hall estate with its contemporary art exhibitions. Browse independent boutiques for artworks, photography, contemporary homewares and very reasonably priced beachwear and fashion – and of course you’re never very far from a Cape Cod emblazoned sweatshirt! If you hire a car, the journey will take about an hour from Hyannis, travelling on the bus will add another 20 minutes or so onto your travel time.
Stay in a sea captain’s home
Stay half way between the beach and Falmouth Main Street at Shoreway Acres Inn, a historic house that was once the home of a sea captain, since extended into a comfortable inn. It’s set in pretty gardens, with lots of al-fresco chill-out areas, and indoor and outdoor pools. Family rooms from $119, Shorewayacresinn.com
Enjoy family fun at a water park
The Cape Codder Resort & Spa on the outskirts of Hyannis is ideal for families with its big water-park, several restaurants and bars and nightly live entertainment. Family suites from $359, Capecodderresort.com
Visiting Massachusetts? See 18 top things to do in Boston
More on the US: Why we should all visit America right now
Read my travel feature on Boston and Cape Cod published in The Scotsman
Images: Mike Galvin, William DeSousa, Bernadette Fallon